WorkSafe Victoria has warned that it has doubled its prosecution rate in recent months, and is urging employers to "find and fix" workplace hazards before inspectors discover them.
WorkSafe health and safety director Ian Forsyth said the regulator initiated 24 prosecutions in September.
"There are nearly 100 cases now before the courts ranging from non-compliance with safety improvement notices to major incidents where members of the public as well as workers have been put at risk [or killed]," he said.
"Many more matters are under investigation and with the cases we've run since May this year we're running at a success rate of more than 90 per cent."
"We take safety seriously and we will enforce the law, but business operators and workers can avoid prosecution by doing the right thing, consistently."
Forsyth's comments follow the launch of WorkSafe's new "Any Day Now" campaign (click here to see the TV commercial), which "reminds employers that WorkSafe inspectors are out and about".
He said that while Safe Work Australia's latest comparative report showed that Victoria's workplace injury rate fell by 30 per cent between 2004 and 2010, it was vital for WorkSafe "to keep the pressure on".
"This campaign will help do that," he said.
"Plenty of people are doing the right thing, but our inspectors come across the same problems over and over again.
"They're generally basic matters that can be fixed at little or no cost, but if left undone can have devastating consequences. They are known hazards with known solutions. Workplaces need to find and fix problems, not wait for an inspector to come or for someone to be hurt or killed."
Eight sectors face blitz
Victorian Assistant Treasurer, Gordon Rich-Phillips, warned that while the State had Australia's lowest average workers' comp insurance premiums - at 1.338 per cent of payroll - employers with high injury rates paid much more than this.
"That reduces competitiveness, increases the cost of running the business and pushes up costs for consumers," he said.
"While Victorian workplaces were the safest they have ever been and the rate of injury is trending downwards, more can be done to prevent workplace injuries.
"We're calling on Victorian workplaces to stop, think and take action about improving safety. Simple steps make a real difference to individuals, families and businesses."
WorkSafe said in a statement that about a quarter of all injury claims in Victoria in 2009/10 came from fewer than 3000 businesses in the following industries, which will be targeted for the rest of the current financial year:
- food product manufacturing;
- wood product manufacturing;
- fabricated metal product manufacturing;
- plastics and rubber manufacturing;
- transport equipment manufacturing;
- road transport;
- warehousing and storage services; and
- residential care services.
The regulator noted that about 60 per cent of all workplace injuries in the State were musculoskeletal injuries such as sprains and strains, bone fractures and ligament damage caused by manual tasks and slips, trips and falls.
There have been 16 work-related fatalities in Victoria in the last 10 months, and about 90,000 workers are currently receiving support as a result of past injuries.
